//------------------------------// // And you're to blame // Story: Shot Through The Heart // by Chaospaladin //------------------------------// When Celestia assigned Bright Lance and Star Cannon to keep watch over Chrysalis at Canterlot Hospital’s intensive care ward, she warned that their patience and willpower would be tested. The hoof-picked elite guards had experienced dangers and challenges that would’ve broken most stallions. Dragons? A Basilisk? Discord’s ‘Monster of the week’? They’ve been through it all, and were more than confident they could handle a crippled Changeling queen whose magic has been sealed. They learned too late that Celestia’s warning wasn’t referring to Chrysalis. With impassioned gazes, they observed Twilight pace back and forth before Chrysalis’ room in metronome. The stuffed saddlebag bounced against Twilight’s hip with each turn, eyes glued to the floor. Every once in awhile, Twilight’s mood would brighten with an idea and she would open her mouth to request entry, only to stop and resume pacing and pondering. Their jaws were set hard, threatening to break their professional lack of expression as their eyes followed Twilight’s movements. “But what if she says no?” Three steps, about face. “We can’t put this off. But if she refuses, I can’t imagine things would end well.” Another three steps, about face. “Or maybe she’ll take the other option, but what if nothing changes?” Bright exchanged a look with Star. They counted off the top of their heads. Three. Two. One. “Argh, what a mess!” Twilight wailed for the sixth time, smoothing down her mane in aggravation. The guards released a silent sigh while Twilight wasn’t looking. There was no telling how long this could go on before Twilight either entered the room or chose to come another day. “Tell me about it—urk!” Bright froze up. Twilight and Star’s heads snapped to the horrified guard. Any hope of salvaging the slip of the tongue disappeared when Twilight rushed up to him. “I know, right?” Twilight asked with sudden and little-too-large smile. “I mean, it’s good news, but also bad news, in a way. I should tell her, but I don’t know if I should wait a bit to figure things out a bit more. I’m not even sure how I should break the news. Thorax and Starlight helped me convince everyone including the doctors that the idea was sound, but everything comes down to what Chrysalis decides to do. Not to mention…” Star said nothing as Twilight rambled on, thankful the shaft of the spear he held was able to resist his tightening grip. The glare he shot Bright, however, spoke volumes. You fool! You’ve doomed us all! Bright gulped, mentally banging his head against a wall as he tried his best to make sense of the Princess’ ravings. He was able to catch pieces about ‘special news’, ‘Chrysalis’ rough temperament’ and somehow looped to ‘Spike and Starlight’s uneasiness’. “So what do you think, Sergeant Lance?” Twilight asked, hungry for air from recounting her thoughts in a single breath. Bright considered his words carefully. The wrong word would either insult the Princess relying on him for words of assurance, or lock both of them into a long-winded conversation that would break their spirits. Once the answer reached his tongue, he swallowed hard and took the plunge. “I think you should trust your instincts, Princess.” Twilight blinked, lost in thought. After a moment, she grinned widely. “You know what? You’re right. No point in stressing myself out if I don’t even know how she’ll take it. Just have to wing it and see what happens. Nothing ventured, nothing gained, right?” “Erm, that’s right.” “Thank you, Sergeant. Alright, let me through.” Relief flooded the guards as they happily parted from the door and opened it for Twilight. With a nod to both guards, she entered the white room. Just before the door closed, Twilight could’ve sworn she heard a thump of wood on metal and a yelp from Bright. As with every visit, Twilight resisted the urge to wince with guilt at seeing Chrysalis with thick bandages wrapped around her chest and an IV drip stuck in her foreleg. The gold ring fastened at the base of her horn shimmered midnight blue magic inside carved letters that spelled Magus Quietus, or ‘quiet mage’ in old equestrian. Faint gold outlines of Celestia’s shield magic shimmered on the wall-to-wall picture window across the room with a gorgeous view of Canterlot castle. The view would have helped to suppress Twilight’s nerves, had Chrysalis’ nigh-permanent scowl not been directed at her. Not that I can blame her. The world seems to see her as more of an inmate than a patient at this point. “What do you want, Pest?” “Good morning to you too, Chrysalis,” Twilight rolled her eyes. “Sorry I’m late. There was more medical paperwork I had to fill out than I expected. Doesn’t help that I somehow have a bigger workload to prepare for my students after spring break started. Speaking of medical, I do have some, uh, interesting news to share.” Chrysalis’ ears perked. “What news?” “Your recovery is going well, but the doctors have gotten a little… well, paranoid. Even with Thor—” Twilight caught herself and coughed in her hoof. Chrysalis’ raised an eyebrow. “...ough analysis of the situation, they want to have you moved. Had I not intervened, you would’ve been moved to a prison,” Twilight finished. One word of Thorax or Starlight’s involvement and Chrysalis would more than likely end the conversation immediately. There was little point in stirring up that Bugbear nest before she dropped the big news. “The only surprise so far is that hasn’t happened sooner,” Chrysalis said, miffed. “I’m still waiting for this ‘interesting news’ you speak of. Get on with it so I can sleep.” The glimmer of interest in Chrysalis’ eyes betrayed her unimpressed glower. Twilight continued, averting her eyes while pawing at the tiled ground. “R-right. So, after some talking, and a little bit of arguing from my friends, I...err… may or may not have convinced everyone to let you stay at my castle?” She winced on instinct, expecting harsh words of objection from the queen. “I…” Chrysalis stopped, searching her mind for the right words. Her brow knitted together in confusion. “I don’t understand.” Though Chrysalis’ response could have gone worse, Twilight did not expect bewilderment. “Huh?” After a moment of further pondering, Chrysalis threw Twilight a curious look. “I’d always been meaning to ask, but why would you do all of this for me? What do you...” Chrysalis trailed off, then suddenly glared. “Forget it. I refuse to be a bandage for your guilty conscience.” Twilight recoiled, a hurt look on her face. “Wha—no! That’s not why I did it!” Chrysalis’ hardened gaze did not relent, scrutinizing her very soul. “I just… okay, guilt played a small part in—oh, come on!” Chrysalis tossed in her head to face the window, wearing a deep frown. Twilight sighed. How can she still distrust me so much after everything I’ve done for her? If it wasn’t for me, she would’ve been locked up in Tartarus three months ago! Stop it. I can’t think like that. I’m the reason she’s in this hospital, after all. Chrysalis needs time to heal and learn to trust. I think I just need to lay it all on the table and meet her halfway. I have to show her that she can trust me. “Guilt was not the only reason, Chrysalis. Yes, I still feel awful for what I did. Defense or not, I never wanted any of this to happen. As to my reason for taking you to my castle, it goes back to the promise I made before… y’know. I swore I would never abandon you. If I let you go to prison or Celestia-knows-where, I feel like I wouldn’t be owning up to the promise I made.” “So as long as it’s your preferred prison everything is fine. This is the so called friendship you’ve preached about?” Chrysalis spat. “Don’t put words in my mouth!” Twilight snapped. She paused to regain her composure. “Look, I never said you had to stay with me. Friendship is not about taking away choice for what you believe is the right choice. It’s about giving said choices and compromising. So if you have a place in mind you prefer to go—anywhere at all—I promise to take you there. And… if you don’t want me around, wherever you go, then that’s okay too. I want to help you, but I won’t force it. That is my reason, as well as my promise, to you.” Twilight waited. A minute nearly passed when Chrysalis finally spoke. “You said you convinced your friends, but how do I know I won’t wake up being suffocated by a pillow?” “That’s not going to happen. My friends would never go that far. They understand your, well, hesitation to speak with anyone besides me, so they will keep their distance until you are ready.” “And once I recover? What then?” “Then you can leave if you want. Though you are also welcomed to stay.” “There’s no guarantee I won’t come after you or your friends again. Your naivety might get you killed one day.” “Well, I’ve stayed alive this long. I must be doing something right. Though if you come after us again, I will stop you. I have to learn to trust you, just as you have to learn to trust me.” A lengthy silence fell between them. Chrysalis sighed. “I… will think about it.” “Great! So, uh, I know you got a lot to think about, so I won’t take up too much time. Oh! But I did get you a new book.” With her magic, Twilight grasped the thick burgundy book from her satchel and placed it next to the flower vase on the adjacent cabinet. “It’s the latest book in my favorite mystery series: Detective Cobalt and the Luna Bay slayer. You don’t need to read the past books to get the gist of the context, but I think you’ll like it.” An awkward silence followed. Twilight’s gaze fell, hoof digging into the lines of the floor tile. “Alrighty then. Guess I’ll just get back to that school of friendship. Paperwork doesn’t take care of itself!” Twilight’s voice wavered. After a beat, she turned to leave. “Wait.” Twilight froze, hoof on door handle. Her head whipped towards Chrysalis, who was still facing away. “What?” “It’s… no, it’s nothing. Go ahead.” “It certainly doesn’t sound like nothing. What is it?” Twilight asked. After a long pause, she frowned. “I know better than to twist your leg, but if you got something to say, then please say it.” Chrysalis grumbled. “It… still doesn’t make sense why you are doing this, if not only to soothe your own ego. There’s nothing to gain from aiding my recovery.” The inquiry caught Twilight off guard, though she prepared herself for the chance to satisfy Chrysalis’ curiosity. “Hmmm, I think I see where you’re coming from, but this isn’t about some conquest or trying to pat myself on the back.” Twilight grabbed the nearby swivel chair and took residence next to Chrysalis. “I get what you’re thinking; you’ve repeatedly tried to foalnap or kill us. There’s no possible reason why the very ponies you couldn’t care less for wants to help you, right? To be perfectly honest, I don’t like you. If I was a different kind of pony, you would’ve been left rotting at the bottom of that catacomb three months ago.” Chrysalis turned her head to Twilight, unable to mask the surprise on her face. “You’re not alone in how you think, Chrysalis. A good number of ponies do not want you around. For awhile, my friends were worried you had some weird subtle mind control on me. Even now, I know there is a part of me that just wants you to disappear and stay out of our lives for good. But that’s not how I do things. It’s never been about profit, politics, or tactical advantage.” “Then why?” “Before I answer that, tell me, has anyone given you a chance to be happy? I’m not talking about things like power struggle or coercion out of fear. I’m talking about someone doing something legitimately nice for you out of love or kindness. Discounting usage of disguises, of course.” Chrysalis turned her gaze to the ceiling lost in thought, searching for an answer. After some time she answered. “No. Not that I can remember.” “My answer will probably not make sense to you then, but maybe someday it will sink in for you.” Twilight smiled to herself. “Deep down, I believe everyone deserves a chance to turn their life around and find happiness. I truly want to give you that chance, Chrysalis. Just as the chance to experience joy among friends was given to me, I want to pay that kindness forward. Does that make sense to you, Chrysalis?” Chrysalis’ eyes fluttered close. “No. I doubt I’ll ever understand.” “Well if you stick with me, I’ll do my best to try.” “Is that a fact?” “Yes it is.” “Hmmm,” Chrysalis gave a lengthy pause. “I suppose I’ll have plenty of time to understand your reasoning if I stayed at your castle, won’t I?” “You would have all the time in the world. Don’t forget, you can go anywhere you want.” A smile crept into Twilight’s muzzle. “Even prison.” Chrysalis coughed, though Twilight noted it could easily be mistaken for a stifled laugh. “Goodness, aren’t you a demanding princess? How could I possibly handle so many decisions?” Twilight giggled at the unexpected sarcasm. “You’re a big girl. I’m sure you can handle it.” “Hmmm, it cannot be helped then,” said Chrysalis. “I can only pray the beds at your palace are better than this terrible excuse for a mattress.” “You mean…!” Twilight’s eyes brightened, followed by her smile. “Don’t worry, you’ll have the best bed in Ponyville. I’ll let them know to start getting you ready to move right away. Just relax in the meantime.” Twilight bounded out of the chair, brimming with excitement, and made for the door. “Hey.” Twilight’s hoof stopped just before knocking on the door to signal the guards. She glanced over her shoulder at Chrysalis. Surprise caught her when she noticed the familiar void in her gaze. Whatever ran through Chrysalis’ mind made her hesitant. “I…” The softness that crept into Chrysalis’ voice before she cleared her throat threw Twilight off guard. Then, after a beat, dispassionate eyes returned to Chrysalis’ features. “I demand a large dinner be made for my arrival. Only the finest cuisine in Equestria.” Twilight sensed a hint of forced tension in Chrysalis’ tone. She shrugged, offering a mischievous smile. “If you stay on good behavior, I’ll consider it.” “Hmph,” Chrysalis huffed, crossing her forehooves. “Drama queen,” Twilight smirked as she knocked on the door to signal her exit. Twilight caught the ghost of a smile on Chrysalis’ muzzle just before the door closed behind her.